Caucasian Languages, Grammatical characteristics

The Kartvelian languages exhibit a developed system of word inflection (e.g., the use of endings, such as English �dish, dishes� or �walk, walks, walked�) and derivation (word formation). Derivation is characterized by compounding, the combination of words to form new words, as well as by affixation, the addition of prefixes and suffixes - e.g., Georgian kartvel-i �Georgian,� sa-kartvel-o

Pei-p'iao

Pinyin �Beipiao, � mining town, western Liaoning Province, China. Located northwest of the Ta-ling Stream and east of the Ta-ch'ing Mountains, it is the site of a coal combine. The vertical shafts, which extend nearly 3,280 feet (1,000 m), are among the deepest mines in China. They produce coking coal from a southwestern extension of the Fu-hsin basin. Pop. (mid-1970s est.) 100,000 - 300,000.

Orangeburg

City, seat of Orangeburg county, central South Carolina, U.S. It is situated on the North Fork Edisto River. In 1735 Germans, Swiss, and Dutch established a settlement, naming it for William IV, prince of Orange. The Donald Bruce House (c. 1735), on nearby Middlepen Plantation, served as the headquarters for Governor John Rutledge, General William Moultrie, and Lord Rawdon during the

Independence

City, seat (1870) of Montgomery county, southeastern Kansas, U.S. Independence lies on the Verdigris River, near Elk City Lake (dammed for flood control and irrigation). It was founded in 1869 by a company that purchased a portion of an Osage Indian reservation. The town had temporary economic booms with the discoveries of natural gas in 1881 and oil fields in 1903. Independence is now a trade

Badminton

Many badminton experts were surprised when 20-year-old Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark finished 1997 on top of the men's singles world rankings. At the Japan Open in January 1998, however, Gade Christensen easily defeated Luo Yigang of China to win the sport's first major event of the year and proved his number-one status was no accident. Gong Zhichao of China rose to the top of

Henequen

(Agave fourcroydes), plant of the family agave (Agavaceae) and its fibre, third in importance among the leaf fibre (q.v.) group. Varieties of A. fourcroydes include ixtli, longifolia, minima, and rigida. The henequen plant is native to Mexico, where it has been a source of textile fibre since pre-Columbian times. It was introduced to Cuba in the 19th century, becoming the country's

Henequen

(Agave fourcroydes), plant of the family agave (Agavaceae) and its fibre, third in importance among the leaf fibre (q.v.) group. Varieties of A. fourcroydes include ixtli, longifolia, minima, and rigida. The henequen plant is native to Mexico, where it has been a source of textile fibre since pre-Columbian times. It was introduced to Cuba in the 19th century, becoming the country's

Endoderm

The innermost of the three germ layers, or masses of cells (lying within ectoderm and mesoderm), which appears early in the development of an animal embryo. The endoderm subsequently gives rise to the epithelium (tissue that covers, or lines, a structure) of the pharynx, including the eustachian tube, the tonsils, the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, and thymus gland;

Hinterland

George G. Chisholm (Handbook of Commercial Geography, 1888) transcribed the German word hinterland (land in back of), as hinderland, and used it to refer to the backcountry of a port or coastal settlement. Chisholm continued to use hinderland in subsequent editions

French Literature, Allegory

Allegory, popular from early times, was employed in Latin literature by such authorities as Augustine, Prudentius, Martianus Capella, and, in the late 12th century, Alain de Lille. It was used widely in religious and moralizing works, as in the long P�lerinage de la vie humaine (�Pilgrimage of Human Life�) by Guillaume de Deguileville, Dante's contemporary and a precursor

Adams, Louisa

Following her husband's death in 1848, Louisa continued to live in Washington, where she died in 1852. In an unprecedented mark of respect for a former first lady, Congress adjourned for her funeral so that members could pay their respects. She was buried beside her husband and his parents at the First Church in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Gabon

A great deal of the cultural life of Gabon continues to be derived from or influenced by France. Gabon's contemporary writers express themselves almost exclusively in French. At the same time, there has been continued interest in the precolonial history and traditions of Gabon's peoples. Examples are the research on the Fang epic (mvet) and the art of the Mpongwe, Fang,

Rabelais, Fran�ois

Details of Rabelais's life are sparse and difficult to interpret. He was the son of Antoine Rabelais, a rich Touraine landowner and a prominent lawyer who deputized for the lieutenant-g�n�ral of Poitou in 1527. After apparently studying law, Rabelais became a Franciscan novice at La Baumette (1510?) and later moved to the Puy-Saint-Martin convent at Fontenay-le-Comte in Poitou.

Theatre

Though the word theatre is derived from the Greek theaomai, �to see,� the performance itself may appeal either to the ear or to the eye, as is suggested by the interchangeability of the terms spectator

Hui-y�

Pinyin �Huiyuan � celebrated early Chinese Buddhist priest who formed a devotional society of monks and lay worshipers of the Buddha Amitabha. The society inspired the establishment in later centuries (6th - 7th) of the Ch'ing-t'u (�Pure Land�) cult, which is today the most popular form of Buddhism in East Asia. On his advice, the ruler of the Eastern Chin dynasty

Calderdale

Westernmost metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough is part of the historic county of Yorkshire, except for a small area west of Todmorden that belongs to the historic county of Lancashire. The bleak gritstone Pennine moorlands, with scattered sheep farms and reservoirs, rise to an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 metres)

Franciabigio

Also called �Francesco Di Cristofano, Francesco Giudini, or Giudici � Italian Renaissance painter, best known for his portraits and religious paintings, whose style included early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Proto-Mannerist elements. His early style is filled with movement and attention to descriptive detail, strongly reminiscent of 15th-century Italian painting. Later, he was attracted to the Florentine

Handl, Jacob

A Cistercian monk, Handl traveled in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, was a member of the Viennese court chapel in 1574, and was choirmaster to the bishop of Olm�tz (modern Olomouc, Czech Republic) in 1579 - 85. His most notable

Performing Arts, Jazz

The music of Duke Ellington, one of the greatest jazz composers, dominated the jazz scene in 1999. The centennial of his birth was celebrated worldwide at festivals, concerts, and nightclubs and prompted a proliferation of recorded tributes by singers and instrumentalists. On April 29, Ellington's birthday, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis, played

Hood River

City, seat (1908) of Hood River county, northern Oregon, U.S., on the Columbia River, there bridged to White Salmon, Washington, 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Portland. It lies at the mouth of the Hood River, which was named for British Admiral Lord Hood. Settled in 1854, and platted in 1881, the city began to develop after the railroad arrived in the 1880s. Vast acreages of land were planted in orchards in

Mckenzie, Sir John

McKenzie's deep antagonism toward land monopolists was rooted in his boyhood in Scotland, where he witnessed the dispossession of small farmers by Highland landlords. After

John Ii

John was a younger son of Ferdinand of Antequera, elected king of Aragon (as Ferdinand I) in 1412. John and his brothers retained their positions and revenues in Castile,

The Anti-suffragist

In July 1908 the New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage published the first issue of The Anti-Suffragist. The quarterly magazine echoed the views of the antisuffragism movement, which began in Massachusetts

Ear Disease, Ototoxic drugs

Ototoxic (harmful to the ear) drugs can cause temporary and sometimes permanent impairment of auditory nerve function. Salicylates such as aspirin in large enough doses may cause ringing in the ears and then a temporary decrease in hearing that ceases when the person stops taking the drug. Quinine can have a similar effect but with a permanent impairment of auditory

Anhava, Tuomas

Anhava was a perfectionist in his poetry, with a fanatical concern for le mot propre and a great theoretical interest in the aesthetics of modern poetry. His Runoja (1953; �Poems�) has as its central theme alienation and a search for a transcendence of everyday reality.

Bottle

Although early bottles were made from such materials as gourds and animal skins, glass eventually became the major material employed.

Frigidity

In psychology, the inability of a woman to attain orgasm during sexual intercourse. In popular, nonmedical usage the word has been used traditionally to describe a variety of behaviours, ranging from general coldness of manner or lack of interest in physical affection to aversion to the act of sexual intercourse. Because of the derogatory connotations that have

F Region

Highest region of the ionosphere, at altitudes greater than 160 km (100 miles); it has the greatest concentration of free electrons and is the most important of the ionospheric regions. The charged particles in the F region consist primarily of neutral atoms split into electrons and charged atoms. Although its degree of ionization persists with little change through the

Mitchell, Wesley C.

Mitchell was educated at the University of Chicago, where he came under the influence of Thorstein Veblen and John Dewey. He taught at numerous universities, including the University of Chicago (1900 - 02), the University of California (1902 - 12), Columbia University

Amphipod

Any member of the invertebrate order Amphipoda (class Crustacea) inhabiting all parts of the sea, lakes, rivers, sand beaches, caves, and moist (warm) habitats on many tropical islands. Marine amphipods have been found at depths of more than 9,100 m (30,000 feet). Freshwater and marine beach species are commonly known as scuds; those that occupy sand beaches are called

Kahn, Gustave

After study in Paris, Kahn spent four years in North Africa, returning to Paris in 1885. He helped found or edit several literary reviews, including La Vogue, Le Symboliste, and La Revue Ind�pendante, which printed his poems and discussed the various theories